1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for interactive semi-automatic document scanning, and, more specifically, to using an image capture device to record a sequence of images as a user passes a document in front of the image capture device, after which the images are processed to provide an accurate digital image of the document.
2. Background of the Invention
Traditional ways of scanning documents on common systems can sometimes be tedious and cumbersome, and alternative systems and practices based on digital-cameras have been developed over the years. However, most of these systems still require the user to go back and forth between manipulating the document pages and operating the system.
Currently there are several kinds of scanners on the market for the office and home. There are large office scanners/printers (e.g. Xerox DocuColor, Xerox Corp., http://www.xerox.com (link visited Jul. 17, 2008)) that are hi-quality, expensive, and take up floor space. There are home and home-office scanners/printers (e.g. Canon PIXMA, Canon, Inc., http://www.canon.com (link visited Jul. 17, 2008)) that are low cost and can handle limited types of scanning tasks. There are mobile scanners (e.g. Visioneer Roadwarrior, Visioneer, Inc. http://www.visioneer.com (link visited Jul. 17, 2008)) that are convenient for scanning a few sheets of paper at a time.
In terms of handling the documents during the scanning process, these kinds of scanners have problems that can use improvement. The large office scanners and some home office scanners have automatic document feeders to handle multi-page and duplex documents. However, the document must be manually disassembled (e.g. remove staples) and perhaps reassembled after scanning. The document paper must be in good shape to avoid paper jams, which may not be true for some old documents. It is difficult to scan books and manuals. Scanning business items can be difficult or tedious: receipts, business cards, appointment books. Similar problems can occur for scanning personal items: notebook pages, letters, greeting cards, children's artwork, etc.
For mobile scanners, the document handling system is even more limited, as the page must fit through a narrow slit one at a time, not to mention the speed and quality limitations of mobile scanners compared to office scanners.
Given these difficulties, people have developed workarounds and other ways to scan and digitize their paper documents. One popular method is to use a digital camera to take photos of their documents. There are even businesses to support this practice (e.g. ScanR, ScanR, Inc., http://www.scanr.com (link visited 2008-07-17)). While this works well for digitizing a few documents here and there, it can be tedious with larger batches of documents because the user has to go back-and-forth between changing the document pages and operating the camera.
Thus, it is desired to develop methods for scanning a wide variety of document types at a rapid rate in a cost-effective manner.